Lowertown ballpark: Lit pillars chosen as new stadium artwork

A new public art sculpture, "Meander," which will be featured on the Lowertown ballpark's West Plaza. The sculpture, designed by the Twin Cities art team of Futures North, was selected by St. Paul Parks and Recreation in March 2014. The $63 million ballpark will open by May 2015. (Courtesy of www.lowertownballpark.com)

The upper Mississippi River will meander through the city of St. Paul's regional ballpark in Lowertown, at least in spirit.

The St. Paul Parks and Recreation Department and the Lowertown ballpark project team have selected "Meander" -- a lengthy public art sculpture composed of 28 lighted pillars -- to decorate the ballpark's west plaza.

The Twin Cities art team of Futures North designed the piece to reflect the upper Mississippi River's general shape and the 28 locks from St. Anthony Falls to St. Louis.

Brad Meyer, a spokesman with St. Paul Parks and Rec, said Futures North placed two art concepts online for public feedback and received input from city officials and ballpark architects.

The other piece, "Field Condition," consisted of 735 wall-mounted aluminum baseball bats lit with LED lights.

The pillars for Meander will be fabricated of cast glass and masonry made from silica and lime harvested from the Mississippi River Valley, materials that have local relevance to the historical development of river industry.

Each pillar will be topped with a glass cap containing an embedded LED light, reflecting the changing water conditions of the river. The light will react to the presence of passers-by.

Futures North will work on prototypes to test the materials used in the piece and finalize sculptural details.

Designed and constructed by a team led by the Ryan Cos., the $63 million ballpark is expected to open by May 2015 and will serve as the new home of the St. Paul Saints professional baseball team. It also will host high school, college and amateur games.